


Who needs saving?

by Daphnean



Series: My EXO Challenge [11]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:43:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daphnean/pseuds/Daphnean
Summary: Baekhyun makes a pretty terrible knight in shining armor. Luckily, he still bags a cute prince all before the school year officially ends.





	

For how expensive his tuition was, the lighting around the university was absolute shit, in Baekhyun’s opinion. Usually he held his keys like brass knuckles between his fingers, eyes darting to the shadows as he left the hub of campus towards the outer buildings and finally his dorm.

He hadn’t meant to stay out till nearly two in the morning, giving the tiny, shy housekeeper a jaunty wave as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and tossed his chip bag in the garbage. His project for his mass media class, discussing gender roles in popular advertising, was going really well even if the work was time consuming. Engrossed in a really interesting video on coded languages in commercials, he hadn’t even realized the time until he heard vacuuming from the hall outside.

As he stepped out of the building onto the dark sidewalk, the idea of calling campus security to escort him to his dormitory flittered nervously in his head. His first thought was that he wasn’t a pussy. His second thought was that his first thought was hyper-masculine bullshit; anyone was allowed to be nervous walking alone at night, man or woman. The knowledge his roommate, Chanyeol, would mock him did settle a little sourly in his stomach, but Chanyeol didn’t need a reason to mock him anyways. It was part of their relationship; acting like dicks to each other.

Sighing and holding his keys like the weapon they could be in his grip, he trudged away from the library, pace quick as he passed the science and math buildings. It was then he heard the scuffling, his breath catching as he turned the corner to what appeared to be a silhouetted fight. The light between Wexler and Oppenheim had been out for months, despite professors and students alike complaining about it. The path between the two buildings was a common shortcut to the dorms, but on moonless nights like this it was beyond terrifying.

Frozen, listening as the two fought, Baekhyun wondered what to do. Mostly there was heavy breathing and what sounded like fists hitting flesh, but finally someone spoke, spurring him into action.

“Just fucking give me your wallet.” A rough, male-sounding voice echoed against the walls of the buildings, and the speaker shoved the other person against the wall.

Adrenaline surging, Baekhyun dropped his backpack and rushed at the attacker, and not realizing his mistake until the man turned, elbowing him hard in the chest.

Wind knocked out of him with the momentum and force of the blow, Baekhyun stumbled back, hitting his head against Wexler with a sick crack. He cried out with the pain, vision a galaxy of light before he passed out.

\--

Muffled voices greeted him as he woke. Louder than their words, which still didn’t make sense in Baekhyun’s throbbing head, he could hear a steady beeping. When he tried to open his eyes, the brightness stung and he groaned from the pain before quickly closing them again. Both voices in the room immediately got louder, closer to him.

“Oh thank God,” a soft voice, accented in a way unfamiliar to him, spoke first.

On his left, another person sighed. “Should one of us get the nurse?”

That voice…it sounded familiar to him, but his memory was swimming under beeps and this lethargy that seemed to be turning his muscles into syrup. He’d been at the library, and then…it slammed into him with a rush that only seemed to make his migraine double. He tried to sit up quickly, but struggled, eyes opening before his vision truly started to right itself.

“Mugger.” His tongue felt sluggish too, as he turned toward the man on his left, the very man he’d heard try and rob someone before he must have passed out.

As his eyes adjusted, he took in the villain who’d been attempting the theft, the one who attacked him, and saw instead of some hardened criminal (why he had this idea of a bearded guy with tattoos, Baekhyun didn’t know), he took in what looked like…a worried looking young man in a university hoodie. If he hadn’t known the guy was a thief, Baekhyun might have found him cute.

The mugger groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Nope. I’m not explaining it. It isn’t my fucking project. You get the honors, Han.”

More questions were raised in his head by the moment. Why the mugger was here with him instead of running off with both their wallets? Who brought him to the hospital? Was he really that shit at fighting?

Looking to the man on his right, Baekhyun blinked in surprise. He was considered a pretty boy by a lot of campus (often because of his love of eyeliner and wearing girl’s skinny jeans), but the man before him was more fitting of the title. There was something about this doe-eyed stranger that was ethereal; even in the dull glow of the hospital lights.

Baekhyun just furrowed his brows, scratching at the tape holding the IV on his hand. “Is someone gonna tell me what’s going on or am I gonna have to scream like a banshee for a nurse?”

Raising his hands in a panic, the man on his right shook his head. “I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you…it…what happened was…a project for my psychology class.”

“That I told you was a bad idea.” The mugger interrupted, only to be cut off again after his interjection.

“You weren’t supposed to hit anyone! Definitely not hurt them to the point we had to call an ambulance, Sehun!” The man on the right, presumably Han, sounded a bit hysterical at this point.

Baekhyun’s head felt like it still wanted to burst open like a watermelon hitting the sidewalk and he brought his IV free hand up to rub at his temples. “What does this have to do with me getting the shit beat out of me?”

Sehun (the mugger?) spoke up this time, sounding more annoyed with each word, “Lu Han here decided that he wanted to see how many people would actually help a stranger in need for his final project…he’d thought ahead about calling campus security to let them know our plan so that if anyone called them they would come but understand it was all an act, but I fucking told him that someone might try and stop the whole thing and he said not to worry…and then you just came running so fast and my instincts kicked in…and before I could keep you from falling back, you hit the wall and passed out.”

On his right, Lu Han curled more and more into himself, tugging the sleeves of his shirt down over his knuckles, shoulders hunching. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“It.” Baekhyun slowly exhaled. “It’s okay. It was an accident, you know? I probably shouldn’t have just rushed at someone with my keys and all. I just couldn’t see and worried he might have a knife or something…which also, thinking back, would have just stabbed me and done no good anyways.”

Sehun gave him a small smile. “It was pretty wild. We heard someone coming and played it all up, and then suddenly I hear your backpack thump against the ground. You’re running at me for real and the part of me that remembered this was all act wasn’t louder than my internal panic.”

“Did I break anything?” Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair. “Did I give you enough data for your paper? Because shit, I get final projects taking a toll. Why do you think I was out after two in the morning?”

The comment must have relaxed Lu Han slightly, because he ended up laughing; which made him resemble a snake dislocating its jaw to eat. For a pretty guy, the look was a bit unnerving and Baekhyun was glad when he finished chortling to reply to him, “No, no. They just wanted to bring you in and check for a concussion and observe you for a bit. Campus security is outside, waiting to talk with you and the nurses will likely want to know you’re coherent and all…”

Flushing slightly, he gave a sheepish smile. “And I’m pretty sure I could write ten papers about what happened this morning.”

Sehun stood then, stretching his arms over his head. “I’ll go grab the campus cops and a nurse. And try not to injure anyone else in the process.”

In all the madness following his waking up, filling in security on his side of the story and inquisitive nurses, Lu Han never left his side until he was forced to by the hospital staff. Baekhyun fell asleep soon afterwards.

\--

Less than a week later, Baekhyun was savoring the freedom of finishing his last final of the school year, whooping loudly as soon as he escaped the building. Some kids still had another couple of days of their exams left, and he didn’t envy them. Shaking his butt around as he walked back towards the main spoke of campus, he didn’t even see someone laughing at him until they spoke up.

“You look good for a man who was in the hospital just a few days before.” Lu Han was sitting on a bench, backpack sitting on the ground beside him.

Baekhyun had no shame, grinning wide. “I’ve escaped for the summer. Even the memories of my humiliating defeat at the hands of a psych project aren’t enough to wreck my day.”

“I got an A.” The other man looked sheepish, but proud as he ran a hand through his hair. “Mostly thanks to your story actually causing my teacher to cry with laughter.”

Baekhyun sank down onto the bench beside him, always one to keep a conversation going. “I think I deserve compensation.”

“I am paying for your hospital bills, well, my father is.” Lu Han looked him over. “Isn’t that enough?”

Thumb and fingers on his chin as if he was in thought, Baekhyun bit his lower lip briefly. “I have a couple ideas.”

“Should I be afraid?” Lu Han sounded anything but fearful; curious was more fitting.

“Aha.” Snapping his fingers, Baekhyun preened, head tilting to showcase his jawline. “A date. This is the only acceptable way to reward me.”

The lithe man in front of him raised a brow. “A date.”

Baekhyun was brimming with amusement now, nearly vibrating with energy on the bench. “Come on, how cute of a story would our meeting be? Old ladies will coo at us in the checkout line at grocery stores. Someday our grandchildren will pass the tale down to their children.”

“I don’t want kids.” Lu Han seemed amused, trying to school his face into uncertainty, but his smile was hiding in the corners of his mouth.

“Our dogs, then. You’d better be a dog person.” Baekhyun’s expression grew serious, although his eyes were too full of mirth to make any real tension to the situation.

Pursing his lips slightly, Lu Han sighed and shook his head. “You’re moving far too fast for me, Baekhyun. Dogs? I mean I only knocked you unconscious. At least let me buy you dinner first.”

Still caught up in their little game, Baekhyun almost missed the invitation. “You mean you will?”

“But it’ll have to be on hold, really, or over Skype. I go back to China for the summers. And I don’t have time between finals over the next few days.” He seemed genuinely apologetic. “I hate to ask, because honestly I’m surprised you really don’t hate my very being after all that’s happened.”

Placing a hand on his knee, Baekhyun shook his head. “Hey, that’s just more to add to our budding love story, right? Started with a bang and had to go long distance? Hallmark would buy the rights to it if they weren’t homophobic assholes.”

Lu Han laughed, still looking so ridiculous with the action. “You’re really something else, Baekhyun. Skype for starters it is.”

\--

“Still bored, cupcake?” Baekhyun shifted his phone around, hoping to get a better angle on his face.

Lu Han sighed, lying on his belly along his bed. Baekhyun could see the Manchester United posters on the wall along with a couple of jerseys. Apparently half of the reason he’d come to the States in the first place was a soccer scholarship. Baekhyun made a promise to come to his first game next season, once they were both back in school again.

“Already giving me pet names?” Lu Han smiled at him, resting his chin on his hands as he was on his laptop compared to his mobile phone. “Couldn’t you give me something…I don’t know, manlier?”

“Cupackes have no gender, my little monster truck.” Baekhyun winked, “That better?”

A groan, and Lu Han flipped him off. “You’re the worst. I’m breaking up with you. But yes, I’m still so bored.”

With a pout, Baekhyun sat on his own bed, a pile of laundry sliding off onto the floor beside the hamper. “But then my surprise will be ruined.”

“Surprise?” Lu Han sat up. “Now you’ve got me curious.”

“Well, I want you to guess.” Baekhyun laid back on his bed, holding up a peace sign with his free hand as he adjusted the phone screen again. “No clues.”

Lu Han’s tone held his annoyance, and his brows furrowed. “No clues? Baekhyun, I don’t even know where to start…you got me some more Man U stuff?”

“You have a shit ton as it is, but a nice start." Baekhyun blew some stray bangs from his face. “It’s a little more personal…”

“I thought you said no hints-” Lu Han’s face suddenly went the most vivid shade of red. “Oh God did you get me an-an “intimate” gift?!”

Baekhyun was laughing so hard he dropped his phone, but he was still able to hear his wailing boyfriend on the other end of the conversation.

“I swear to God if my mother and father find it at the door I’ll really put you in the hospital!” Baekhyun could almost hear how his expression looked.

Finally able to control himself, Baekhyun took the phone in hand again. “You won’t need anything like that, since I’ll be there in person.”

Lu Han gaped in response. “Baekhyun…”

In a rare moment of uncertainty, Baekhyun hesitated to speak. “Is…is it too soon? Too much? I have an old friend who lives close, named Zitao. He said I could visit and that I could…”

“No, no it’s not too soon, I…can’t wait.” Lu Han’s soft smile was even more beautiful than the rest of him, or so Baekhyun believed. “When will you be here?”

“Well…seeing as I still have to finish packing and my flight is in ass-o-clock in the morning, a while…but I’ll text you once I get in?” Baekhyun sat up, hair mussed from his bed, but he was too excited to care.

Lu Han sat up a bit too, propping his chin on his hands. “I’m going to show you all around the city.”

“And hopefully all around your body." Baekhyun winked. “Who knew I’d bag a sexy older guy to sweep me off my feet?”

His boyfriend rolled his eyes. “What do I see in you?”

“Hopefully your dick.” Baekhyun gave an even more obnoxious wink than before. “I’ll see you soon babe, I have to pack a shit ton because I haven’t even started yet.”

Lu Han blew him a kiss. “Stay safe. I’ll buy condoms.”

“You’re the best.” Baekhyun caught the kiss in his hands, bringing it to his lips before blowing him a kiss in return. “See you soon, my little plaid wearing lumberjack.”

**Author's Note:**

> EXO and all other Kpop entertainers presented here are real people and so I remind you that this is just a fic, like a play with their stage personas as the actors. This is not intended to be a representation of who these men and women are or are not. Remember to love and respect them always. And thanks for reading! <3


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